Latvia trail Armenia 0-1 at half-time in Nations League opener
In the opening UEFA Nations League C match in Yerevan, Latvia's national football team went into the break trailing hosts Armenia 0-1 after a header from Georgi Harutyunyan.
Latvia's national football team opened its UEFA Nations League League C campaign on Friday in Yerevan, trailing hosts Armenia 0-1 at half-time.
The opening stretch produced few clear chances, with Vladislavs Gutkovskis coming closest for Latvia when his effort from close range flew over the crossbar. In the 31st minute, goalkeeper Rihards Matrevics denied Artur Serobyan's long-range attempt, tipping the ball away from the corner.
Armenia broke the deadlock shortly after: from Eduard Spertsyan's corner delivery, captain Antonijs Černomordijs lost an aerial duel to Georgi Harutyunyan, who headed the ball into the top-left corner without even jumping. Armenia continued to threaten Latvia's goal in the closing stages of the half.
Černomordijs earned his 50th cap for Latvia in this match, while Denniss Cirkins and Markuss Strods made their starting debuts. The match is being broadcast live on LTV7.
What's next
Latvia's campaign continues on September 28 at home against Cyprus, followed by a match against Montenegro on October 2 and a return fixture away to Cyprus on October 5. Two more matches follow in mid-November, away to Montenegro and at home to Armenia.
The 26-player squad includes seven debutants, among them defenders Oskars Vientiess and Oskars Rubenis and midfielders Kristers Čudars and Danila Patijčuks. Midfielder Kristaps Grabovskis was unavailable for this match but could feature in upcoming fixtures.
Latvia currently sit 137th in the world rankings, with Armenia at 107th. The two sides have met six times previously, with Armenia winning the last two Nations League encounters. Latvia preserved its League C status in late March by defeating Gibraltar, and placed fourth at the Baltic Cup in June.
